{"id":34818,"date":"2009-07-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-07-10T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2009\/07\/10\/rain-cant-dampen-mood-at-cattlemens-ball\/"},"modified":"2009-07-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-07-10T05:00:00","slug":"rain-cant-dampen-mood-at-cattlemens-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2009\/07\/10\/rain-cant-dampen-mood-at-cattlemens-ball\/","title":{"rendered":"Rain can’t dampen mood at Cattlemen’s Ball"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\nUNMC Eppley Cancer Center Director Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., speaks at the champagne brunch at the Cattlemen’s Ball.
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\nMud left by overnight rain didn’t stop the 3,600 people who attended the ball from enjoying the festivities.
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\nCattlemen’s Ball attendees wait to get cancer screenings.
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\n<\/TABLE>Normally, rain in early June is a welcome thing in Nebraska.<\/p>\n

But when Mother Nature delivered more than three inches of rain to the Grand Island area in the wee hours of the morning on June 6, organizers of the 11th annual Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska weren’t smiling.<\/p>\n

“The ball has never been rained out,” said Deanna Bosselman of Doniphan, one of the general chairs of this year’s ball. “With over 3,000 people attending, cancelling because of rain and mud isn’t an option.” <\/p>\n

The Cattlemen’s Ball — a day-long festival that promotes beef as part of a healthy diet, showcases life in rural Nebraska and raises money for cancer research — takes place outdoors or under large tents. <\/p>\n

The event has raised more than $3 million for cancer research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center since it started in 1999. It’s held on a different Nebraska ranch or feedlot each year. <\/p>\n

This year’s event, with the theme, “Give Cancer the Boot!” was hosted by the Robb family of Doniphan and held on the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust in Doniphan, just outside of Grand Island.<\/p>\n

By the time the day’s festivities started, the rain had stopped but had left the grounds muddy and soft. <\/p>\n

To prepare for the 3,600 attendees, truckloads of mulch were brought in to the ball site and spread over the grounds. This made navigating the grounds easier so that attendees could enjoy everything the ball had to offer, including:
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